Amazon Prime members, your monthly fee is going up

Will you continue your subscription?

Many people consider Amazon Prime to be one of the best values in online shopping. For a pretty reasonable monthly or annual fee, you get free two-day delivery on many items from the site (plus other cool perks like free TV and movie streaming and unlimited photo storage).

Well, now Amazon Prime members are going to have to pay a bit more for that free shipping and other goodies. The company has raised the monthly Prime membership fee from $10.99 to $12.99. Student pricing is also affected by the change, though the fees for that subscription are only changing by $1, from $5.49 to $6.49 per month.

If you have an annual membership, your fee remains the same at $99 per year ($49 annually for students). Prime Video membership also remains unchanged at $8.99 per month and the yearly fee for students remains the same at $49.

New subscribers will be paying the higher prices effective immediately, but if you’re already subscribed, you’ll see the increase on Feb. 18.

If the increased prices are giving you pause about buying (or keeping) your Prime membership, consider how much value you get out of the service based on your lifestyle. If you make frequent purchases form the site, the free two-day shipping probably saves you a bundle.

Plus, you’ll have access to thousands of shows and movies, as well as free music streaming, photo storage and book lending. Amazon has even recently released some great original shows that you can stream with a Prime membership. And while the music offerings aren’t as robust as other services like Apple or Spotify, there are still thousands of songs by popular artists.

Your Prime subscription also buys you access to a range of workout videos—an easy way to stick to those New Year’s resolutions. From belly-fat burning to kickboxing and yoga, there’s something for everyone.

Lastly, you’ll also get early access to Amazon Lightening Deals—30 minutes early to be exact! The deals are limited in quantity and go quickly, so early access gives you a better chance of scoring some of the best discounts.

By the way, if you decide the new price increase warrants choosing the annual subscription, you’ll save about $55 per year. If you order from Amazon a lot, the $99 is totally worth it. You’ll for sure come out ahead on shipping costs if you’re constantly ordering, not to mention all the other fun things that come along with a membership!

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